Mutronics Mutator: Analog Filter Sweep Effect by Softube

Mutator's core is a voltage controlled filter for each channel. The filter can be driven by an envelope follower that sweeps it in proportion to the amplitude of the sound source. A Gate mode switches the filter fully on or off instead.

The onboard LFOs offer four waveforms and can run in or out of time with the music, which makes them useful for both steady movement and off-beat, unpredictable sweeps. Width extends the stereo field, and Mix blends the processed sound with the original signal.

Linking or unlinking the two channels changes how stereo effects behave, so you can keep the movement centered or push it into wider, trippy territory.

The external sidechain input lets another sound drive the filter. The developer's example is inserting Mutator on a pad track and having the filter move in sync with a drum loop. This ties the filter movement to the rhythm of a different track.

Because the plugin models the original hardware, it is intended to reproduce the analog character of the unit, including the behavior of frequencies, phase and distortion, rather than a generic digital filter.